A child leads them in ‘A House Divided’

Posted by redwards on March 23rd, 2014

How can life go on once all hope is lost?

It’s a theme developer Telltale Games keeps revisiting in the second season of “The Walking Dead” series. Episode two, “A House Divided,” finds several characters struggling through different stages of grief. One is still reeling from a recent tragedy, while another desperately tries to to rebuild after reaching the point of absolute despair.

It’s fascinating to watch Telltale explore these broken spirits, however we never get as much time as we’d like to see their personalities in satisfying depth. The quiet moments of character interaction are the highlight of the series, so it’s a shame to see “A House Divided” lean so heavily on action.

A major complaint about episode one was that Clementine’s new group remained largely strangers throughout. Now, we’re finally getting a peek into the inner workings of these interesting individuals. But every time we start to find out what makes them tick, there appears a zombie horde or cruel twist of fate to conveniently send the story racing forward.

Even so, the action sequences themselves are quite impressive. Telltale has a keen knack for conveying tension, and much of episode two leaves players bracing for the moment when the axe will drop. The episode wraps up with a flourish of dramatic brutality and, of course, more hardship for the group.

While Clementine’s companions remain mysterious, filling the 11-year-old’s shoes has never been more intriguing. Veterans of the series know her to be a determined, resourceful survivor. Her age and non-threatening appearance, however, afford her a level of influence that others lack.

She can speak for the group to disarm a tense standoff, or uncover information under the guise of youthful curiosity. There are also moments of one-on-one dialogue in which she breaks the façade of the helpless child to give added thrust to her argument.

Despite her age and stature, Clementine stands out as a leader among the group. Players can easily manipulate others into following their line of thought, and there’s no reason to lack confidence in her ability to survive any hardship.

And there are hardships aplenty. This season they’ve hit so fast and furious that they’ve lost a great deal of emotional impact.

There’s one tragedy, in particular, that stands out in episode two. A misunderstanding and an itchy trigger finger leave an innocent man dead. Clementine’s reaction is barely a shrug. Her innocence long gone, she walks off to clean out the man’s meager possessions.

From a gameplay standpoint, “A House Divided” follows the familiar path of previous episodes. Players explore areas to uncover objects that advance the story. Quick-time button presses keep Clementine alive during clashes with the undead.

Choice plays a major role, with plenty of chances for Clementine to pick from a branching dialogue tree. Yet, one can’t shake the feeling that, with some notable exceptions, the outcome seems predetermined regardless of what path the player chose.

Telltale continues to impress with both the quality of its writing and depth of its protagonist. However, I can’t say I’m particularly eager to see what episode three has in store. Like many of the characters in “A House Divided,” the never-ending string of hardships has left me skeptical that anything but more misery awaits.